A Postal contract nurse was indicted on November 14, 2006 of cheating the U.S. Postal Service out of approximately $64,000 with fake medical invoices. Janet Ortega, 44, of Daly City, California was indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts of felony mail fraud.

According to the indictment, Ortega — while working from April 2003 to February 2004 in the medical unit at the postal processing and distribution center on Evans Avenue in San Francisco — created, submitted and authorized about 37 bogus invoices for services supposedly performed by a physician named Dr. John De Leon.

But De Leon apparently doesn’t exist; Ortega had the checks sent to a post office box that she controlled, and she pocketed the money herself, prosecutors say.

She’s scheduled to appear Dec. 14 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernard Zimmerman of San Francisco.

Full article from Daily Review

Department of Justice U.S. Attorneys Office Press Release: 

SAN FRANCISCO – United States Attorney Kevin V. Ryan announced that Janet Ortega was indicted on charges of defrauding the U.S. Postal Service by submitting and approving fake invoices for over $60,000 in medical services that were never performed. Ms. Ortega, 44, of Daly City, California, was charged with seven counts of mail fraud on November 14, 2006.

According to the indictment, Ms. Ortega – while employed as a contract nurse for the Postal Service – created fictitious invoices for services allegedly performed by a physician named Dr. John De Leon. In fact, the indictment alleges, Dr. De Leon never existed. The indictment charges that Ms. Ortega submitted these false invoices to the Postal Service and then used her authority to authorize payments for these alleged services, knowing that the services were never performed. In all, Ms. Ortega obtained more than $60,000 from the scheme.

The maximum statutory penalty for each count of bank fraud in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 1341 is 20 years and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

An indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Ms. Ortega must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Stacey Geis is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Legal Technician Ana Guerra. The prosecution is the result of a one year investigation by the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.